Card-index system.



J. Hv RAND, JR.

CARD INDEX SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16, 191?.

1 72,526. Patented July 10, 1918.

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J. H. RAND, JR.

CARD INDEX SYSTEM. 7 APPLICATION HLED FEB. 16| 19H.

Patented July 16, 1918.

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eted features Will hereinafter Septemher 18, 1915, Serial so. 51,439.

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ori inal application filed ee temeer 18, .915, Serial No. 51,439.

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invent ful Improvement in (him i y I" of which the following is n spec ilicntio. his-invention relates to card index ems of the overlapping card type, and consists primarily in a series of cnrds having tongues so disposed that when the several cards ofthe series are assembled and nested, as hereinafter described, the cnrds'will. he interlocked by said tongues, and Will also be supported and spaced one above nnotht-Tr With their margins exposed, by reason of the nested and ihterloched relation of the sow erel cards and tongues. These and associhe more fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

This application is it division or" application for U. S. Letters Patent n the eocwnpanying drawings, which illustrate certain embodiments of the invention:

Figure 1' is a face View, portly broken away of several cords embodying Vention, mounted in a frame.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the reverse side of the interlocked cards shown in Fig. 1.

F 3 is e, perspective View of one of the individual cards, but showing slightly diferent position of the Fig. is sectional View the cards interlocked.

ig. 5 is a perspective View of a 22rd of of e serie. of

sl htly modified form.

iig. 6 is aUsectionnl ViGW of the card shown in Fig. y

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing stillanother modification of the card.

In. some of the more con'nnon card systems of the overlapping card type as heretofore nod hinged used, the cards are supported by to hers or strips, which serve both sup ports and-spacers. snid bars or strips einp; held at their ends in the guide channels of a suitable frame. In the present invention the overlapping cards are provided with tongues Which support the cards one above another and space the cards relatively to each other, and which also interlock the Specification of Letters .Gatent.

Serial No. i l-9,1431.

the inbodies and, folded ZENITH sizsjym-zs Divided and this application filed February cards in such manner thnt When the eero's are a enihiednlo card run he removed from the 'ies' 'WltllOlli. fir t moving it out-.101" intel-looking engagemi 1. 'nith otluw cords. This constitution prevents the nlx-etrnetion. either thimigh nccident or design, of any from the S8ii'lQS..CllSl)0llSOS with 'tl1e neof relativelyhenvy and costly supspacing bore, and if -sired,

POL" ng and admits otiorming the ljflltlWlliil its supporting and spacing menus out of nnjntegrnl sheet of paper,cardboard. orthe like. Wl-ien the cards are mounted in .n. finngedfffnme they are providetlnith laterally extending projectionstn engage theguide flnngcs oi the fmme. out as such projections do not, perform the 'lunctions of spacing" nnd-su13- porting the curds one nhme :uiot-h 11,413 do the sluiporting hni's heretofore used they n'lziy he mode of wnnpnrutively lig'lit innteriel such as the nmterinl of the curditseli, since they are merely to prevent the cards fron'i 'l:'1.lling out of the ironic. Each card also preferably hinged in the manner hereinafter explniued to facilitate inspection.

Referring first to the form shownin Figs. l to 3, 1.. re n-e ants n t'rn nc oilnsunl construr.:tion. having inwardly. turned guide langes a forn'ling' chnnu s to receive the I ital-ally extending projections of the cords. finch card B 'novided with a tongue 7) formed by folding over one margin ofxthie card and securing the fold to. the bodyoi' the enrd by suitable means, such ns a line of staples: he free edge of the foldheyond the staples constitutes to single. tongue; the hose of which is detern'lined by the taste ing i'nenns spaced from the. proximate edge of the card, while the tongue extends substantially fintwise of the card toward the opposite edge. The cards are nested and interlocked.byinserting the margin o ijonocard between the tongue and bodyof the next cerd. Although the tongues Z are preferably made integral with the card over. theyinight be-inado of e i'uirnte. pieces 7%; of material fastened to the card bodies, as shown in his. 5.

When the several cards of a series are assembled the n'mi'gin of each card B is nested between the tongue and the body of the next ndioeent ca rd in the series. Thus the cards are spaced by said tongues relatively one to another with their margins paperor other sheet projecting shown in Fig. 1, and the cards are also relaof a crease,

beyond one another, as best tively interlocked by' said tongues. The base of each tongue, spaced from one edge of the card, constitutes the line on which t e card is supported by, and spaced relatively to, its neighbor. Instead of mounting the cards in the frame as shown in Fig. 1, they might-be mounted in reverse position as shown in Fig. 2, in which case the upper exposed margins instead of the lower margins, would be used for names or other indexed matter; or the cards could Joe merely invert ed top for bottom, with e ther the obverse or reverse side facing outward, in which case the overlapping cards would be upstanding instead of down-hanging.

To facilitate manipulation and inspection of the cards, each is made with a hinge b, connectingthe portion of the card which carries the tongue Z) with the free portion or flap portion. The hinge is preferably made integrally of the card itself by means or other weakened portion, an is located in the body of the card within the area limited by the line of support passing through the base of the tongue or tongues, that is, the hinge is at or below said line of support, so that the hinged art of the card may be swung on the re atively fixed part of the card which carries the tongue or tongues without moving or affectincident wlth ing the position of thetongues. In F igs. 1 and 2, the hinge b is-located in a line somewhat removed from the base of the tongues and just beyond or substantially cothe ends of the tongues, so that no part of a card which is overlapped by a tongue Will be swung on the hinge, a construction particularly advantageous when the cards are used in the position shown in Fig. 2.

The cards shown in Figs. 3 and d are identical Withthose shown '11- Figs. 1 and 2 save that the hinges b are ocated nearer to the base of the tongue than in the cards shown in Figs. 1 and 2. i

The cards thus nested and interlocked are supported and spaced by the tongues, and could be used in a suitable box or recap.- tacle without other retaining-means. When the cards are to be used in'a vertical frame A, of the so-called visible 1ndextype, they are provided with projections d extending laterally from the card and engaging the guide flanges a of the frame. These projections (Z are preferablyformed of the same sheet material as and integral with the card itself, or the tongue, and extend laterally from each end of that margin of the card which liesbetween the base of the tongues and the proximate edge of the card. The projection need not be of stout material like the supporting and spacing bars of overshown in Figs. 33am! 4 sidered as holders for igavasae lapping card index systems heretofore used, slnce they are required merely to prevent sive pro ections overlap one another under the guide flange a, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, when the series of cards is assembled in the frame. I

In the modifications shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the cards B are identical with those tongues 72 are formed by separate strips of material secured to the cards instead of by folding over integral portions of the cards. The tongue strips 6 can be made from the same kind of material as the cards or from any other suitable thin material.

In the modification shown in Fig. 7, the card B, the folded over tongue I) I fasteners-0 are substantially the same as the corresponding parts in Figs. 1 to 4. The projections for holding the card in the frame consist of the ends ed in the loop of the fold between the fast teners 0 and the folded edge of the card. As these projections neither support the weight of the cards nor consititute the spacing means, the rod may be as light. and slender as desired, and need not have any spacing devices at its ends as has heretofore been necessary.

The cards shown and described may have the reading matter or information written or printed directly thereon, or separate cards or pieces of paper or the like bearing the written or printed matter may'be secured in any suitable manner on the cards, in which case the cards B, etc., could be conindex cards or the like.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a card system, a series ofoverlap ping cards, each having a tongue formed by a strip of material extending crosswise of the card on oneside thereof, means fastening the tongue between its edges to the card and determining the base of the tongue, the base of said tongue being spaced from one edge of the card and the tongue extending from its base toward the opposite edge of the card, and one margin of each card be-v ing nested between the tongue and body of the next card in the series, whereby said cards are interlocked and spaced by said tongues relatively to one another with their margins projecting ,one beyond another.

2. In a card system, a series of 0verlaping cards, each to afford additional interlock-f except that the and the i of a rod e, insert having a tongue formed by edge of the card, and -'a pair of projections extending laterally from the ends of that portion of the card at which the tongue is located. I

'tongueformed by a strip of material extending crosswise of the card on one side thereof,

the "base of the tonguebeingspac'ed from" one edge of the card and the tongue extend ing from its base toward the opposite edge of I the card, said 'card being provided with a;-

hinge connecting that portion of the card} carryin the tongue with the flap ..ortion'of the car and a pair ofdproje'ctions extending laterally from the en the card at which the tongue is located.

Witness my hand, this 30th day of Janiik i my, 1917. v

JAMES H. RAND, JR, .Witnessesz.

E. V. WARREN, PEARL KAY.

s of that portion of 

